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This web site has been purpose built and designed to meet the needs of New Zealand
Local Government, in the development of their Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP).
As one commentator has put it…
“Given the new legislative requirements, never before have New Zealand Councils been
as challenged to develop the means by which they are able to measure and demonstrate
their achievement of Community-based performance.”
The Local Government (2002) Act introduced a requirement to develop comprehensive
community based long term plans. The full extent of the new requirements are contained
in the legislation and in a series of printed resource supported by training seminars
and proposed "Guidelines" produced under the name "LG Know How"
The documentation included on this site is not intended to be a substitute for LG
Know How or the many other initiatives relating to the LTCCP. The site is intended
to "add value" to the LTCCP process in circumstances where gaps of knowledge or
opinion exist or where commercially available products that contribute to the LTCCP
process are involved.
The principal requirements of the Act that will be in part addressed within this
site are as follows.
The dates set for the LTCCP exercise and its implementation are:
- By July 1 2004…completion of a "Transitional" period LTCCP based upon earlier "Annual
Plan" processes followed
- By July 1 2006…completion of the first full LTCCP meeting all statutory and other
requirements.
The transitional matters commencing the process most significantly include the determination
of "Community Outcomes". This site will initially concentrate its particular focus
upon true Community based input, its mechanisms and process.
The Local Government (2002) Act represents a major advancement in socio-economic,
cultural and community terms based upon notions of a "sustainable" environment and
signals much more emphasis in future on meeting in the fullest way possible the
needs of New Zealand citizenry…at the LOCAL level. To do this the involvement of
the various "Communities" will be central to compliance with the intent of the new
legislation.
This "Community-based emphasis is derived from observations of evidence suggesting
that many Councils are meeting their perceptions of the needs for Community Consultation
with just more of the same…little more than a repeat of consultation as earlier
conducted with Annual Plan procedures. One recent survey contained the following
results:
Survey Objective.
The survey, covering ten small to medium sized Councils using interviews and public
statements was conducted in October and November with the intention of determining
the "level of commitment" of Councils to comprehensive public consultation. The
results were "variable" to say the least. |
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Specific Issues |
Results |
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Linkage of 2004 with 2006 process. |
There was a wide variation between Councils with few adopting an "integrated process"
linking the "transitional 2004" LTCCP with those of 2006 |
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Appointment by Council of Community Consultation operative. |
Only two of the ten Councils had made such appointments. |
Internal view of the LTCCP process… little evidence of managed and/or facilitated
public input
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Eight of Ten |
Survey Objective.
Councils will have to reinvent themselves in management information terms to meet
the requirements of integrated strategic (LTCCP) planning. The technology to achieve
these objectives and to manage these processes is available, most Councils have
yet to "get with the program". |
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Specific Issues |
Results |
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Software well advanced |
Two of Ten |
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Software planned |
Three of Ten |
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Software “nowhere” |
Five of Ten |
Consultation process is much more than this and has been redefined by the legislation
to include
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